


My Beloved

by Darkwater37 (Palefire73)



Category: Loki - Fandom
Genre: Drugging, F/M, Lead up to inferred abuse, Loki in his Jotunn form, Loki is a GOD, Loki worship, Violence, kidnap, sect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7762063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palefire73/pseuds/Darkwater37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeanette is orphaned and moves to a new neighborhood. She's a Loki Devotee but starts to neglect him and he wants to know why. Its a good job because shes about to get into a whole heap of trouble</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Beloved

**Author's Note:**

> OK, I got all fancy and wrote something longer I hope you folks like it.  
> Uhhh, there's some swearing  
> Its heavily edited by my friend as she tells me my grammar sucks, although she consented to leave the spelling US! I left this full of holes because I got fed up with it which she filled in for me. She's real picky so... I just let her get on with it - Love you babe!

_One Monday, late August 2013…_

 

“Please Loki…”

 

The girl sat in the corner of the darkened room with her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them tightly.

“Please….” She squeezed harder, turning the knuckles of her hands white with the effort and closed her eyes to try to concentrate the desperate thought she sent out to the Trickster, hoping – no – _praying_ that he would hear her and take notice. Outside the room, she could hear the screams of those who were meeting a fate she did not even want to imagine. She was hiding and hoping frantically that someone would free her from this frightening experience. Fear crept up her spine, raising the hairs on her arms and prickling her skin and she started to sob quietly, trying so hard not to make a noise, but unable to help herself. Her plea came now in her thoughts rather than from between her trembling lips, “Loki, please… please help me!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_Earlier that day…_

 

“Hey! Jeanette! Jeanette, is that you?” Anneka, a short blonde with huge sunglasses holding back her hair, glanced at the traffic and jogged across the street, heading for someone she thought she recognized from high school. “Jeanette? It’s me, Anneka.” She placed a hand on the arm of the skinny brunette, smiling in anticipation of seeing her old friend, but was taken aback as the young woman turned around to see who was trying to get her attention. She frowned, but quickly covered it up with a smile, “Jeanie? It’s me! From Newtown High?”

“Uh, yeah…” The voice which greeted her was not the vibrant and happy voice Anneka remembered from her old friend at all; it was quiet and withdrawn, a shadow of what it had once sounded like. “… uh, hi.”

 

The two young women looked at each other as the moment became awkward and Anneka tried to say something cheerful to kick start a conversation.

 

“So… how are you? We kinda lost touch after graduating and things are so busy…and… How are you doing anyways? How are your folks? Your mom was so nice when I used to come round to hang with you and…”

“They died.”

 

The statement was so matter of fact, but said in such a sad and quiet voice that Anneka almost doubted what Jeanette had said and for a moment she simply stared with an open mouth at a loss as to what to say next.

 

“I… I, oh my God, Jeanette! I am so sorry!” She moved forward and instinctively hugged the skinny girl and it was then that she noticed just how much thinner her friend was than the last time they had seen each other. It was only a couple of years ago, but she had changed so much. She found a lump forming in her throat and she started to cry; Jeanette’s parents had been a lovely couple and had welcomed her friends into their home as if they were their own. In fact, Anneka had often gone there to escape her own parents when they had fallen out or she had been in trouble with them because she loved them so much.

“Oh, Jeanie, my God, I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it…” She continued to hold her friend, but realized that the girl was not returning the affection. As she drew back, she could see that Jeanette was simply standing there like a lost soul, her shoulders slumped, her face expressionless and her eyes staring unseeing at the sidewalk. Now that she was paying more attention, she could see that her clothes were unkempt and her hair was lank and looked like it hadn’t been brushed or styled for a while. Her face was sallow with black circles around her eyes and pimples spoiled her complexion and the black shapeless clothing she was wearing seemed to suck the bright light of the summer’s evening in and leave her in shadows. It was such a difference to when they had been younger; Jeanette had been quite a trend-setter and had always been interested in the latest fashion and hairstyles. Anneka despaired at how much her friend had changed.

“Where are you living, then? Are you with relatives…?”

“With friends.” Anneka waited for her to expand on this, but she said nothing more.

“Do you have a job?” She doubted it. “Are you OK for money?” The clothes looked like they had come from a thrift store.

“Listen…” Jeanette’s voice was still low and lifeless, but cut through her words easily, “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”

“But…”

“I got help. I have money. Honestly I’m fine. Anyway, I gotta go, I’m meeting someone.” Finally Jeanette managed a smile on her drawn pale face, “See you around.”

 

Before Anneka could even try to arrange meeting up for a coffee somewhere, her friend had somehow disappeared into the crowd of people walking along, and she was left standing there staring after her, still shocked by the whole encounter.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_April 2013…_

 

“You are no longer a minor, and as the sole inheritor of your parents’ estate, you will receive an income from a trust which will be funded by the proceeds of the sale of the estate. It has been requested that you go to live with your aunt, but since she is two states away, we appreciate your concern about disruption to your life on top of the loss of your family and the Court sees no reason why this should be imposed upon you. You are free to make your own decision in this matter and as you are financially sound, the State also sees no reason why it should enforce certain conditions upon you regarding finding accommodation and employment, although help is there if you should need it. Until you find your feet an apartment has been found for you from the local authority’s trusted provider list”

 

“Thank you…” Jeanette said and watched as the woman snapped her briefcase shut. She stood up and extended her hand. Realizing the meeting was at an end Jeanette also stood up and looked at the kind brown eyes of her lawyer. The well dressed and rather buxom black woman who had walked into her life a month ago upon the death of her parents in a hotel fire had been wonderful every step of the way to sorting out all the legal matters which Jeanette had not the first clue about. There had been many occasions when the she had cried in her warm and comforting embrace and she felt that they had become friends of a sort along the way. But now even she was leaving and Jeanette was going to have to take her first steps in the world on her own, with no support from a loving family. Money was not a problem apparently, but it was a poor substitute for parental guidance and love.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The apartment was nice. It was in a reasonable area of town and had a local store, a small park and access to public transport close by. Granted, a few streets away the buildings became less well-kept and empty lots were the playgrounds of graffiti artists and kids with nothing to do, but the rent was affordable and the landlord had not asked too many questions of her once she had signed the lease. He had been very welcoming however and had helped her to carry her stuff in, making light conversation about things in general and even recommending where to go for great coffee. Jeanette sat looking at the brown cartons containing her stuff and sipped at the take-out mocha from the café which she had found a block away from the landlord’s directions. It was time to sort things out.

 

After cutting off the packing tape and opening a few cartons however, she found she had no desire to look inside them. She didn’t _want_ to start a new life dammit! She wanted her old one, with her parents and friends! She wanted her mom back so they could paint their nails and drink beers as they watched her dad coaching the little leaguers. Dragging on a black hooded top, which had become her favorite thing to wear lately, Jeanette left the apartment and went out onto the street to take a walk to try to clear her head. Her destination wasn’t that important; she just needed to walk off her low mood so that she could try to sort out her stuff back in her apartment. Taking a left out of the building, she sauntered along and decided to go as far as the trees planted at intervals in the sidewalk lasted. They were large and cast shade under their leafy canopies, making the street rather gloomy, especially at this time of the day when she could hear people through windows which had been opened to let out the stuffiness of the summer evening. The smell of cooking food came out of those same windows and her stomach growled. _When was it she had last eaten?_ She didn’t remember; the coffee she had bought was the last thing she had purchased and even that had been cold when she finished it before coming out for a walk.

 

There was only a faint breeze this evening, but it was enough to stir the green leaves of the trees and the last of the sun’s rays before it set caused the various shades of green to shimmer beautifully from lightest yellowish limes through to deepest jade. The sight cheered Jeanette up; green was the most beautiful of all the colors to her and the magical way the light and leaves and breeze combined just at this moment reminded her of only one thing. Or rather, only one being: Loki, the Nordic God of mischief. Absent mindedly, she reached to a worn leather bracelet which lived permanently on her wrist and stroked it.

 

His face sprang before her mind’s eye and lifted her spirits; she had been seeking and communicating with the Trickster for a long time and the experiences she had gone through had convinced her that she had truly spoken with him. Well, not spoken as such, but had communicated. Whenever she had sought solace and advice by looking within herself for a way to converse with him, pictures had formed in her mind and scenes had played out for her which led her to believe he was showing her things to guide her and to tell her more about his life. When she was younger she had not done it very often; the occasions when she had made time to remove herself from the hustle and bustle of daily life to seek Loki out had usually been when a major event was going on, such as having to choose which subjects to pursue in school, or whether to accept that date with a boy she liked, but she now realized that she had not turned to the Nordic God once during the terrible upheaval which the death of her parents had caused. She had not even really thought of him. Considering that she had made up her mind as an eighteen year old to pledge herself to Him and had gone on to frequently make offerings to Him and had given prayers up to Him which reaffirmed her decision to be His, the fact that she had not naturally turned to Him in her hour of need was very surprising. As the memory of the times she believed Him to have manifested with her resurfaced, she felt happiness spread through her along with a feeling of being complete and her mind was made up. She needed to get back to the apartment – would she ever call it home? – and set up her shrine. She needed Loki back in her life.

 

Just as she stopped in her tracks and turned around to go back, she caught sight of the café she had bought her coffee from earlier that day and her stomach grumbled its emptiness. Crossing the street, she headed for the establishment in order to get something to take back to eat whilst unpacking her stuff. The café was a little unusual; it was set back a bit from the sidewalk in a part of the block where the downturn in the state of the buildings could be seen to start. It seemed to be in permanent shadows, despite how sunny the day had been and yet it was inviting in a peculiar way. The front was painted in muted colors in the style of a tattoo, with typical insignias such as skeletons riding motorcycles, stylized hearts with arrows through them, playing cards and skimpily clad Gothic women. Two large black striped awnings were drawn down with tables and chairs underneath and the windows were plastered over with flyers for rock concerts, bike meets and a garage sale in aid of the local shelter for the homeless. Jeanette stepped inside and waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloomy interior, then went over to the counter where the same tall woman who had served her that morning smiled and said, “Hello honey. Back for more coffee?”

 

“Hi, er yes please. To go and could I also get a sandwich?”

 

“Sure honey. What would you like? Menu’s on the counter.”

 

Jeanette selected what she wanted, made her order and watched as the woman prepared her coffee. She was tall and skinny, had long black hair and the face and voice of someone who definitely smoked heavily. Tattoos of various kinds adorned her arms and there was one on her front of two ravens meeting across her chest, their midnight black wings spread up to cover her collar bones. As she placed the coffee on the counter, Jeanette saw that where their beaks met in the center just above the crease between her generous breasts – which were only just constrained by the black vest top she wore – the two birds were actually tearing apart a bleeding anatomically accurate heart.

 

“Sure you don’t want to eat in, honey? I was just about to take my break and sure could use some company…”

Jeanette tore her eyes away from the macabre tattoo and blushed as she stuttered out, “S…sure! I just moved here and it would be nice to meet folks.”

 

“I’m Angel.” Said the woman and she picked up Jeanette’s food and coffee, nodding to a table in the back of the café, “Let’s sit here. It’s quiet and I can keep an eye out for any customers.” She sat down and pulled out a packet of black cheroots, “Do you mind, Jeanie? I got a bad habit I’m afraid.”

“No… no. Go right ahead.” She watched as Angel lit the cheroot and blew out a stream of blue smoke, wondering when she had told her she could call her by her nickname.

“So how long you planning on staying?” The raspy voice brought her back from her thoughts and she smiled lamely.

“Oh, I dunno. I just got here. I’d like to find my way around, make some friends, get a job…”

“Sounds great. What’s that on your wrist, Honey?” Angel pointed at her leather decoration.

“That? Oh… er, I…”

“Is it Pagan or something? It looks interesting.”

“It’s Norse. It’s the rune for Loki. I, I’m… I quite like Him.” She blushed and drew the sleeve of her top over the leather bracelet, suddenly a little embarrassed at having revealed this to someone she didn’t even know. Angel smiled, “I like it. Loki, huh? He’s the God of Mischief, right? A bit of a bad boy if I remember right? Good choice! Anyway, we’re having a get together down the Church on Ironwood Avenue tonight if you’d like to come?”

Jeanette was a bit surprised at the choice of venue, but quickly reminded herself that she shouldn’t judge people by the way they looked, “The Church? I don’t think I know it…”

“Come here about nine o’clock. I’ll walk down with ya. Introduce you to a few folks, have a great time. Don’t wanna be alone your first night here, do ya? We’re friendly enough, come along!” Angel smiled and her black eyes flashed in a mischievous way, “Some great looking guys there…!”

“Oh, I… er I don’t…”

“Just messing with you honey.” Angel stubbed out her cigarette and stood up. “Well, better get back to it. See you at nine?”

 

Deciding there wasn’t much else to do, Jeanette nodded. “Yes, OK. I’ll tag along.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The offer of an invitation to spend time with other people had forced Jeanette’s hand and she now stood with half a dozen opened cartons and a suitcase, sorting through and wondering just what to wear. A church gathering? But where people like Angel attended? Did she wear completely different things at night when going to a get together in a holy building? She sighed and plucked out a pair of black jeans and a green t-shirt; they were tidy enough and would have to do. Now that she was ready she realized there was about half an hour before she needed to leave and she decided to quickly unpack her devotional things, especially as they were in the only box which had the contents indicated on it.

 

The large cardboard carton had the name “Loki” scrawled on it in large letters and Jeanette placed it on the bed to cut it open. Inside was a small artist’s easel, which she set up on a chest of drawers in the corner of the room which was opposite to the window. Carefully, she unpacked a painting which was wrapped in tissue paper and she set it on the easel. It was a beautiful and stylized portrait of Loki himself in his Jotúnn form, with horns protruding from a luxurious mane of red hair and his clothing of prized animal skins showing his high status in the clans of the Jótnar. Various items joined the portrait on the drawers, such as gemstones and candle holders. Next, a long plaited leather thong in green and black with golden droplets attached along with black feathers came out of the box and she wound it about her wrist and fingers. Then she lit a Dragons-blood incense cone and an orange colored candle which had golden glitter through it, and knelt in front of the shrine with her head bowed slightly.

 

“Hail Loki, wily Trickster. I offer you devotion…” Quietly, Jeanette said her prayer to her Beloved God as the incense pervaded the room and a sense of calm began to take over her. As her words continued, anxiety melted away and warmth spread through her. She heard a faint rustling of leaves and the hairs on her arms rose as another scent joined that of the incense. Natural earthy spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg teased her nostrils and the faintest of touches landed on her shoulder. Keeping still, she soaked up the attention and smiled gratefully now that she had someone with her to make her feel safe and secure.

“Thank you, Flame Hair!” Her voice was cracked but happy and she had to sniff back tears of happiness at His presence, “Thank you for coming here to bless my new home!” She reached into the packing carton which she had brought over to the shrine with her and pulled out a small velvet pouch. Opening her eyes and smiling at the portrait in front of her, she rattled it. “Time for a new gift my dearest God. Guide my hand…”

 

Unseen fingers entwined hers as she reached into the pouch and retrieved one of the items inside. As ever, this one had an instruction tied to it with string. Although the items inside the pouch were little trinkets picked up from thrift stores or flea markets such as crystals, small items of jewelry, little figurines or miniatures containing different liquors, the instructions which accompanied them were always a surprise to her. Those instructions had been taken down a long time ago whilst she had been practicing spirit-writing, and she had attached them to each item even though still in a trance, so she had no idea what it was she had to do each time. They were instructions straight from the mind of the Trickster Himself and they were only revealed when she made a gift to Him. Looking down to see what Loki had selected this time, she found herself to be a little puzzled. It was a tiny wooden pentacle, woven about in a circle of what looked like a type of dwarf Ivy. Silver thread was suspended in each of the triangular spaces and she noticed small metal rune pieces dangling from them. Taking a closer look, she realized they were Nordic runes of power and protection and marveled at the way the different symbolic items had been combined into this one trinket. She felt the fingers entwined with her own slip away and the instruction paper fluttered, catching her attention.

 

“ _Wear it tonight when you go to meet your new friends_ ”

 

Glancing up at the portrait, Jeanette pulled a confused face, “How did you….? Thank you, Loki! Thank you for watching over me!” She rose to her feet and took a small candle snuffer to extinguish the tiny flame; it would not do to risk burning down her new home so soon after moving in! In the small bathroom, she found a silver chain in her jewelry box and put the pentacle on it, then fastened it around her neck, tucking it inside her shirt just incase it really was a Christian gathering she was going to. A memory of Angel’s tattoo flashed in her mind’s eye and she found herself doubting it.

 

Picking up a small black tote bag, she grabbed her key and left the apartment to make her way down to the café to meet Angel.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I got her with the coffee… don’t worry, she’ll come” Angel blew out a stream of smoke and glared at the others. “You know it works every time. I got her name from the landlord; she’s on her own, no trouble paying the rent, no one came with her, she’s young… after she drank a bit of my special blend she told me quite a few things and I’m convinced she’s on her own.”

“We’ll find out more tonight.” Said a man with a gruff voice, “Just lace whatever she’s having. Keep her sweet. Keep her happy and she’ll talk. You stick with her, Angel…” he licked his lips as he looked over her and grinned, “Maybe she’ll come home with you ‘n’ me… we could get her to have a little fun, maybe…?”

“Shit, Sam! Keep your mind on things. This one isn’t for us. We got to keep Him happy…”

“No reason we shouldn’t try her out… make sure she’s good enough…”

“No!” Angel stood up, “Nearly time… and I can guarantee she will be here on the dot. I’m going to get her now.” Sweeping her hair back over her shoulders, the tall woman stalked out of the small room, which had once been the vestry, and went out of the huge church to go to the café and see if Jeanette had turned up after all.

 

Sam watched his girlfriend walk off to fetch her new charge and grinned. A few sips of his special drink and this Jeanette would agree to his request. He’d have them both doing exactly what he wanted and enjoying it before the evening was out and their patron would enjoy watching the video evidence of the talent they were trying to attract for him immensely.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The old church building was on a scruffy lot with patchy grass and unruly shrubs which had probably set off as nicely pruned specimens when they were first planted. One of the streetlights had a smashed bulb and the fading evening light meant that the stone steps leading up to the main door were partly in shadow. A feeling of foreboding came over Jeanette as she approached the tall wooden doors behind Angel and she suddenly felt as if she should turn back. She didn’t know anyone here and she didn’t know why they were all coming here; it could be for anything! But the doubts vanished as soon as they formed; she had someone protecting her and nothing bad would happen, surely?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There were many other people already in the huge space, which had been stripped of its old style rows of pews a long time ago. The church had been abandoned in favor of a more modern building a few blocks away and seemed to have been forgotten as the neighborhood had deteriorated in condition. Many years of vandalism and graffiti had rendered the walls blackened and covered in designs which would have definitely not been suitable for a Christian setting, but the building was weather proof and had been taken over by a group of people who offered shelter for the homeless in one part of the church and gathered together for other stuff in another. But this group of people was not the benevolent charitable organization they appeared to be. As most of those who took advantage of somewhere to sleep and get a wash were inevitably vagrants from an already questionable neighborhood, if one went missing every now and again it went unnoticed. As far as their leader was concerned they were doing the local community a service in essentially controlling the population of down and outs, and for some unknown reason no one of any kind of authority had ever come to question just what went on there.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Under her breath, Jeanette spoke rushed words, “Hail Loki, fleet of foot and strong child of Giants. Be with me as my Guardian. I call you, Flame Hair, be with me and act as my guide.” She felt the pentacle through her shirt and sent her words out again, then watched as Angel pushed at the door, almost hoping it would be locked so she could go home and meditate. But it opened, the old rusted hinges groaning loudly, and she slowly followed the skinny woman inside. The huge nave opened out infront of her, its Gothic arches marching down towards the transept and she looked around in wonder. The walls and columns were blackened to a certain extent, as though by fire and the graffiti was extensive, colorful and fairly graphic in places. The dim interior was caused by the many windows being partly boarded up where they had been broken in addition to the fact that night was rapidly falling and her eyes took a few moments to adjust so she could see properly. There were only a few small bulbs in lamps near the front of the building where she had come in and the rest of the space seemed to be lit by candles. A wooden partition closed off one side of the church to the left of where the central aisle was and through an opening she could see people milling around or lying on small cots. Looking back into the other part of the building, she saw a figure approaching and she squinted in the relative gloom to see who it might be.

 

“Jeanette! Hi. Come on in honey!” Angel turned back to her and waved to her so she started to walk over to her. “That’s the shelter through there. We allow homeless folks to stay here. We don’t need all the space and it keeps them off the streets, doesn’t it?” Angel placed her arm around Jeanette’s shoulders and took her further into the church, “We’re up here where we won’t disturb them. Come on, I want you to meet everyone! Are you ready for a drink? We have a bit of music, we play cards, pool, have a bit of a dance – we have a good time!” Looking up to the darkness beyond which the high ceiling of the transept loomed, she laughed, “Just like the good Lord would want!”

“Er.. yeah. I guess!” Jeanette followed Angel into the South part of the transept and into a large area which was overlooked by a rose window which although boarded up on the outside, still had most of its colorful glass intact. The many candles cast faint flickering light onto it and she could see it was a depiction of the Good Samaritan. There was evidence of religious paraphernalia lying jumbled up in one corner, but the rest of the space was arranged a bit like a local bar games room. There were sofas and gaming tables, a compact pool table, a clear area surrounded by speakers with a music deck to one side and to one end an actual bar with stools. It was to this which Angel led her, past everyone already there drinking and having lively conversation, causing her to feel a little self conscious at the few looks she got.

“I want you to meet Sam…  Sam, this is Jeanie. You gonna make her something to drink? What do you like to drink, honey?”

“Er, just a soda will be fine, thanks.”

Angel raised an eyebrow, but smiled and turned to Sam, “A soda for our new friend, sweetie?”

“Sure.” The man behind the bar, who was tall, well built and had blonde hair tied back fairly neatly flashed a brief smile as he handed the drink over, “Here you go, Jeanie. Welcome to Ironwood Community Church.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And that, as they say, was just the start. Unfortunately for Jeanette she had been the target of an unscrupulous organization that specialized in identifying vulnerable individuals and exploiting them. Right here in the middle of an average suburb of an average city in America, recruitment and trafficking of US citizens was taking place and it was being done by her own people. Not foreign flesh trains. Good old-fashioned domestic kidnap. It was unfortunate for her that the landlord of the apartment block she had been recommended knew that a lot of the tenants that came to him had been made homeless by one tragedy or another; he was on the “trusted” list held by the local authority and plenty of displaced people were sent his way. He was nice, he welcomed them in a friendly fashion, organized transport, helped carry their belongings in, made coffee… learned their story.

 

Passed their story on to the group he belonged to at the old church.

 

Recommended the coffee shop just down the street.

 

Was allowed to keep the pick of the contents of the apartments once it was clear the tenant had “moved on”.

 

It was an agreeable set up and one that was quite lucrative. The State lost interest in these unfortunates once they were found a home and didn’t cause any problems; so what if they wanted to go elsewhere - who was going to stop them? He was not bothered what the group wanted them for. It made him a decent living and no one would miss them anyway. No, it was a good deal and he was quite happy to play his part.

 

The only thing with this latest one was that she didn’t move on; the organization down at the church had not seemed to bother to remove her to wherever it was that the previous victims had gone. For some reason she had been allowed to stay around the last few weeks and she still lived in her apartment, still paid her rent on time, still wandered around the local streets. He had a spare key to her apartment of course and had been in when he had seen her going out for one of her long walks around the park over on Jorvik Street. After becoming easily bored by the bland and sparse furniture in the living room and kitchen diner, he had been shocked to discover a huge difference when he stuck his nose in her bedroom. She had painted it a dark forest green, lending it a closed in, tranquil quality. Her bed had plain dark linen on it, but was dominated by a large pelt of some kind, akin to those one might expect hunting tribes to use. Then there was the display in one corner of the room; some horned dude’s picture was surrounded by all kinds of paraphernalia, mainly made up of different candle holders, decorative knives and large crystals of various colors. Only after his eyes had found the bookshelf next to it had he realized who he was. Loki, the Nordic God of Mischief. It seemed the girl had it bad for Him.

 

Could it be this which had meant she was still around and hadn’t just “gone” like the others before her? Were his contacts at the Church into this kind of worship too?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_That same August day 2013..._

 

The hardback book weighed heavy in her hands and the early evening sun was beating down on her despite the fact that she had chosen a place in the shade of one of the huge trees in the park. Drowsiness was trying to drag Jeanette down into sleep and she suddenly jerked as the book fell from her grasp. She pulled the hood of her jacket further forward, trying to dim the sun’s brightness, but it was no good. She could not stay here any longer and the thirst was starting again. She needed to get to the church or perhaps just the café. Angel would be there and she would help, surely? They had been friends for a couple of months now and she was always nice when Jeanette went in, although these days she made her go sit out in the back of the building to have her coffee.

 

No. Today it would not be enough. She had to go to the church. To see him. For what he gave her. To help her forget. He had been so good to her, welcoming her into his church and helping her find solace in her times of darkness when her parents would not leave her mind in peace. The black-clad girl stood up and the book dropped to the ground, forgotten. One of the books she had once prized above all else, along with other items she possessed which were centered on Loki, the God of Mischief. Yet now it was abandoned as she turned and walked like an automaton in the direction of her church, a need growing inside which could only be satisfied there. Her clothes hung off her now; her figure having diminished over the last few weeks from a shapely girl to an outright skinny one. She glanced up and was irritated to find that there were quite a few people around; she no longer liked crowds and positively avoided others when she could.

 

“Hey! Jeanette! Jeanette, is that you?” The voice didn’t register at first; she rarely paid attention to what was going on around her lately, but it came again. “Jeanette? It’s me, Anneka.” A hand touched her arm and she turned around to see who was trying to get her attention. A pretty blonde woman briefly frowned but then smiled as she said, “Jeanie? It’s me! From Newtown High?”

“Uh, yeah…” Jeanette suddenly recognized her and embarrassment came over her as she realized that she was definitely not looking her best lately. _What a time for an old school friend to turn up_. “… uh, hi.”

 

“So… how are you? We kinda lost touch after graduating and things are so busy…and… How are you doing anyways? How are your folks? Your mom was so nice when I used to come round to hang with you and…”

 

The sudden unexpected pain was unbearable but Jeanette beat it down. She shoved her hand in her pocket to find her Loki rune to help her through the experience, but it was empty. _When had she taken it out?_ She blurted “They died.”

 

She knew it had been an awful way to break the news. Anneka had been a really good friend and her parents had loved her almost like one of their own and she felt sorry for how she had just come out with it, the poor girl looked heartbroken.

 

“I… I, oh my God, Jeanette! I am so sorry!” To Jeanette’s sadness, she saw that Anneka, who was trying to give her a hug, was crying at the news.

“Oh, Jeanie, my God, I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it…”

The way she looked at the state of her began to make Jeanette feel awkward and to her annoyance Anneka tried to make some kind of conversation.

“Where are you living, then? Are you with relatives…?”

“With friends.”

“Do you have a job? Are you OK for money?” Jeanette couldn’t stand it any more. Anneka was someone from her past, a happier time, and she had no part to play in her life now.

“Listen. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”

“But…”

“I got help. I have money. Honestly I’m fine. Anyway, I gotta go, I’m meeting someone.” Finally Jeanette managed a smile on her drawn pale face, “See you around.” Before any more talk could be had, she drew her hood up over her face and hurried off in the direction of the church.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A strong black leather boot riveted with iron hob nails and topped with fur stepped close to the spot where a large book lay open and abandoned on the grass and then a hand bound in strips of cured hide decorated with small beads and teeth reached down to pick it up. Crimson eyes examined the strange text on the cover and the ancient mind translated the modern words into His own tongue: “Loptr: The God, The Myths and The Mischief.” Amusement briefly registered on the blue features of the giant who stood where the girl had been only a short while ago, but then He remembered why He had deigned to come here. She had not made any offerings recently and He grew weary of waiting for them! He had decided to come to find out where her attention had wandered to so that He might get it back. She was one of His more dedicated followers and so it was that He rather missed her attention, which included poetry, prayer and the creation of His likeness upon paper and canvas. This had pleased Him ever since He had found her and He wanted it back! As one of His Midgardian self-proclaimed spouses, she had also been sadly lacking in her devotion towards Him in… other areas of her life.

 

Inhaling the air around Him, He detected her faint scent and turned to look where she had gone. When He spotted the spire of the old church, He decided it looked a likely placed and He placed the book in a pouch at His waist as He started off in the same direction.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The vast dusty space of the half-boarded up Church echoed with the sound of the doors closing as Jeanette made her way past the room where the homeless were evidently eating dinner and watching the baseball. She walked along with slumped shoulders, her hands in the pockets of her black hooded top which obscured her face. She glanced up to see the security guard, a large man called Wade, standing in front of the archway leading through to where the group resided with his meaty arms crossed.

 

“Hey Wade.”

“Hey Jeanie. What are you here for?”

“I thought I might get a drink or something? I’m kinda thirsty, you know…”

“Busy right now. Can’t you go to Angel’s place?” Wade tightened his arms across his chest and looked at her sternly.

“I… I guess I could, but I really would like some of…”

“Jeanie…” Another voice joined them and Wade moved quickly to one side as a man appeared in the archway. He was very tall and well-built. His sharp bronzed features were framed with long silken black hair which was kept neatly back in a thin braid and he wore an exceptionally well cut suit. Jeanette felt her heart flutter as he locked her in his gaze and smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth as his black eyes flashed almost dangerously at her. He held out his hand and she tentatively placed her own in it. He closed his long fingers around hers and led her back through to the area where she had first met everyone else. “Thank you Wade. Do not allow anyone to disturb me now. Anyone.”

 

He led Jeanette through the social area and back further into the shadows of the Apse, off which the various individual chapels had been turned into private rooms. The largest one at the very back had steps which led down into the lower level of the building and it was here that she was being taken now.

 

 

As they descended the steps, Jeanette was reminded of her first experience with this man. It was hazy in her memory, but she seemed to feel it had been a good one. Which was part of the reason why she came back here. That and the thirst.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_The first time, back in April 2013..._

 

 

After she had been introduced to the group of people in the church and had spent the evening with them, she had woken up in a strange room with a pounding head and a feeling of nausea. The room had been quite dark and she had felt around to try to find her way out. Eventually finding the door, the dim light which had illuminated the strangely shaped space had revealed her bed mates to be Angel and Sam and they, like her, were wearing just their underwear. Scared at what had possibly gone on and wondering where the hell her clothes were, she emerged from the room quietly to try to discover what had happened. She had passed several of the same kind of grille fronted rooms arranged in a semi-circle before reaching a much larger one and this one had an open door. Looking around furtively, she went inside hoping to maybe find a shirt or something to wear and found herself in what looked like an office. Moving around in the semi-darkness, she found the stairwell and crept down it towards a warm glow which appeared as she descended.

 

The stairs came out in a large space which held many old and strange things which were all illuminated by candles in sconces and she peered around trying to make sense of it, becoming quite worried now and wondering if she should just go back to Angel and ask her to get her home. But a voice coming out of the dark froze her to the spot.

“Come further, Jeanie. Come and warm yourself by the fire. You must be cold walking around an old Church crypt in only your underwear!” The voice was low and deep… and incredibly inviting.

“Who are you? Why am I here and… and…”

“Come here and put this on.” The voice was commanding but gentle in tone and Jeanette found herself walking to where it had come from. And there he was, sitting on a large and comfortable sofa in front of a huge hearth holding a cozy fire. She slowly approached and took the large shapeless shirt he offered her, slipping it on quickly, but not before his black eyes had roved over her body appreciatively. The video feed he had watched from the camera concealed in Sam and Angel’s room had pleased him enormously; Jeanie was a beautiful and quite innocent young lady, but fairly easily encouraged into experimentation, especially while under the influence of drugs.

“Now,” He said, patting the sofa beside him and pouring a drink as she sat down cautiously, “why are you up and about?”

“I… I don’t know why I’m even here.” Jeanette took the drink and sniffed it suspiciously.

“It’s only soda.”

“I was only supposed to be drinking soda at the group gathering… but I feel terrible, as if I have been drinking alcohol.”

“Oh, that is no good.” The man frowned, but then he looked at her intensely and caught her eyes with his. “I’m Marco by the way. Welcome to Ironwood… I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

“You have? But I only just met everyone last night…”

“Oh yes, I know that.” Those black eyes seemed to hold her somehow and drew her in while he spoke, “Do you believe in Fate, Jeanie?”

“Well, er I guess I do.” She took a sip of the soda and tried to look away, but found she couldn’t.

“I do.” The strangely attractive and magnetic man took one of her hands in his as he continued to center his piercing gaze on her, “I believe in it _very_ strongly, and I believe ours is entwined.”

 

Jeanette sipped at her soda and the world receded as the powerful drug that was in it began to enter her bloodstream just as it had when Sam had given it to her. Marco smiled as her eyes became glazed with a far-off look and he removed the drink from her hand,

“Are you ready to show your devotion, Jeanie? Are you ready to show me just how much you want to serve?”

 

The young woman looked at him with eyes as black as his now her pupils were blown under the effect of the hypnotic drug he had given her. After he had whispered a few more things into her very suggestible ear, all she saw now was her Beloved God and all she heard was his velvet voice as he encouraged her to pleasure him. Marco leaned back as he felt her hand grasp him in a most agreeable way; this one was possibly going to be the best of them yet.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_And now the last time, August 2013..._

 

A shiver of anticipation went through her as they went over to a small bar in the space where Marco resided under the Church. The thirst was burning her throat and she positively itched as she watched him prepare her a soda in a chilled glass. Her sunken eyes watched him like a hawk to ensure he made her a proper measure and did not short-change her in any way and when he handed it to her she gave out a shy giggle and grasped the glass eagerly.

 

“Don’t drink it too fast…” She nodded and did it anyway, small drips escaping down the sides of the glass and running down her chin as she gulped the fizzy drink down. The strange after taste no longer bothered her. It had not been noticeable at first, but with successive visits to the Church – and especially on those occasions when Marco requested her company, it had grown stronger. But it didn’t matter. The sadness she had been suffering with today was disappearing to be replaced by a strange kind of peace and it was all because He was here! He had told her so. That night, her Beloved had revealed His Earthly abode to her after all these years of having to make do with ethereal voices and ghostly touches. He had suffered being in disguise as a human in order to try to find her, but now Loki had brought her to Him and it would not be long until He made her His official human consort. It was so exciting and she could hardly wait. All the years of denying herself the pleasures of the flesh with any of her boyfriends would be proven to be worth it. She was pure; just how a woman should be for the God she was sworn to.

 

Marco watched as the girl succumbed to the drug and a wolfish smile appeared on his bronzed features. There were quite a few rich people coming here tonight and they had paid a lot of money for the show he was going to put on for them. They were people from all kinds of background, but they had grown jaded with the world in all its sordid ways. The next perverted thrill was all they sought now and they were prepared to pay for it, such as what he had offered on an underground auction site: tickets to see the live deflowering of a girl who thought she was wedding a God – and the Jotúnn horned God of Mischief at that. Angel had been an absolute star in providing his costume once she had found out Jeanette’s object of devotion and after that a little research into the Norse character had been easy enough to do. The drugs Jeanie was now addicted to would convince her it was Loki who was consummating a marriage with her anyway. It was all prepared further back into the crypt and he knew the spectators would literally lose their load as they watched the spectacle he had in mind. It would be better than anything he had staged with other lost souls before and it was going to make him a lot of money.

 

“Jeanie…”

 

The girl lifted her head slowly, clearly floating along on a cloud of euphoria – _had he given her too much_?

 

“Tonight is the night. We will be wed come the midnight hour.”

 

His words somehow penetrated the fog in her mind which was bringing her peace and she smiled so happily at him.

 

“Will you be in your true form, my beloved? Will you take on your Jotúnn aspect to make me your consort?” Happy tears trickled from the corners of her eyes as she slipped to kneel at his feet and placed her clasped hands in his lap to appeal to him. _She was truly convinced he was her God_! “Please… please Loki…” Marco placed his own long-fingered hands around hers and nodded at her.

“If that is what you desire…”

“Oh yes! Oh yes, I do! I’ll do anything… I promise, my beloved. I swear…”

 

It was almost too easy. Stroking her face gently, he smiled down at the poor, wasted girl as his mind worked overtime on potential sick scenarios she would probably consent to in the name of worship. And make him a shitload of money in the process.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“This is the mother lode, you know? This is the one that’s gonna make a ton of money.” Sam hung up the last of the weapons on the black wall which had been rendered to make it look like the back of a cave and turned to look at Angel. She was arranging a fur on a dais in the middle of the dim room which had been positioned so that everyone in attendance would be able to see. The lighting was done in a particular manner so that the audience would not be noticeable, especially as the dress code they were expected to adhere to was strictly black items only.

“Yeah… he says that all the time, but then he spends it. And he gets bored with them too easily. Getting rid of them costs nearly as much as he makes.” The black cheroot dangling from Angel’s mouth sparked and the embers dropped on the fur, singeing it. “Shit!” She swept her hand over the mess in annoyance and gave up arranging the fur; it was only there for Marco to bang the poor kid on anyways. She started as a noise from upstairs got her attention. No one was supposed to be here now.

“Go check that out.” She said and Sam looked over in annoyance.

“Wade’ll sort it…”

“Just go you pussy!”

 

Sam slammed down the hammer he was holding and stalked off to the tiny set of stone steps recessed into the ancient crypt wall and disappeared to find the source of the noise and Angel looked around the room. The rich sickos who would convene to watch what was basically the rape of a young virgin we re being treated to a luxurious event where they would be served fine champagne and top quality canapés as they got off on watching the spectacle Marco was putting on for them. Then they would shell out hundreds of dollars more to buy a strictly limited and encoded digital version to take home afterwards. She sighed; it was a living and the money was easy, but as she got older and watched the girls – and boys – coming through the doors and out again, never to be heard of again, she grew more and more uncomfortable in the role she played in the organization. However tonight she had to do one more thing; she had to dress “Loki’s” bride.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki reached the stone building and took a moment to look at it in the fading light of the summer’s day. It was fairly impressive for mortal standards, but flimsy by His own. He pushed at a small wooden door and the lock easily gave way under the pressure He exerted, granting Him access to the cramped room within. The door banged noisily against the wall and He glared at it; it seemed He may have lost the element of surprise. He was getting images in His mind’s eye of a strange man and He knew it must be coming from the mind of His devotee; she had spent enough of her life opening her mind to Him now that He found it fairly easy to commune with her and it was proving useful on this occasion. However, her thoughts were not coherent and He realized she must be under the influence of some kind of powerful Seidr; she was potentially in danger and He was here to take her back home where she could place some offerings to Him on her shrine – and maybe show Him in other ways how good He made her feel…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sam opened the door to the vestry to find that the guests were arriving and Wade was directing them to where they could leave their valuables while they were entertained downstairs. He greeted them in a professional manner and soon they were filing down the stone steps and into the viewing room. They were an assorted lot, but mainly middle aged or older and dressed in designer outfits and sparkling jewelry. As they took their seats in comfortable chairs and sipped at the first of many glasses of very expensive champagne, they remarked on the rugged and primal appearance of the room in which they found themselves. Leaflets with the program of entertainment on were handed out and soon excited chatter arose as they voiced their approval. Requests were taken for personal “entertainment” in the form of private waiters and waitresses who would provide physical stimulation upon request in addition to supplying drinks and snacks. All-in-all, it was a well organized event and one that had cost a lot of money to get a ticket to.

 

A sheer black curtain was drawn across the room in front of the audience and the lights were dimmed on their side, rendering them almost invisible to those on the side of the performance, which was relatively brighter, even though it was still a fairly intimate setting. The stage was set, the patrons were settled and all that remained was for the entertainment to begin.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Come on, Jeanie…” Angel struggled to get the diaphanous white gown onto the poor girl without damaging it. She despaired at the way the drugs had wasted her body from the fairly feminine shape she had been only a few months ago into a skinny thing with prominent hip bones and shoulder blades. She held her up as she tied the satin ribbon holding the front together and placed the delicate circlet of tiny blue forget-me-nots on her head. But she was out of it! How much had that bastard given her? It was too much, surely? Far more than was needed to make her think she was coupling with her bloody fantasy rather than a sick individual like him.

“Jeanie. Jeanie! Sit up, please!” She held a glass of water to the girl’s lips and managed to get her to swallow a little of it. “Come on, you’re going to Loki now.”

 

At the mention of the God’s name, the girl seemed to perk up a little and she smiled in a drunken manner.

“I am, aren’t I? We’re getting married, Angel! I’m marrying Loki after all this time. He wants to make me His!” She grabbed the water and gulped it down, “I need to sober up! I can’t let Him see me like this… I want to remember it all… I want to feel it all… I want, I want…”

“Come on, Jeanie, let’s get you there.”

 

Angel helped her to her feet and she shook her head to clear it. “Is it really happening?”

“Yes, honey. It really is. Now, come on… but let me take that off first. It doesn’t match your dress.” Angel started to tug at the old leather wrist band, but Jeanie slapped her fingers away, “No! That’s my oldest devotional item! I can’t take that off. He would notice and He would disapprove!”

“OK, OK honey, I’ll leave it on.” She began to lead Jeanie down the cramped corridor of the oldest part of the crypt towards the cave-like room where the audience of voyeurs waited, suddenly deciding that this was going to be the very last time she participated in one of these events. After tonight she was leaving, no matter that she had no money and no where to go. This was not right.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Marco checked one more time in the mirror and decided it was enough. The red contacts, the very well made horned head dress and the light covering of blue make-up should be enough to convince Jeanie that he was Loki, especially given her drugged state and the dim room. The audience wasn’t that bothered about authenticity towards Nordic legend; they just wanted to see what he was going to do to her. Pulling on a furred bracer over his forearm, which was also painted blue, he smiled, flashing his white teeth and got a thrill from his reflection; playing a Nordic God was actually quite a turn on in itself. Wade’s voice coming over a small speaker announced that everything was ready and he made his way to the performance area.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hearing a lot of activity suddenly going on, Loki decided to transmogrify into a fly in order to get further into the building without risking detection and He quickly found His way to a room filled on one side with mortals in black clothing. They were separated from the other part of the room by a very thin black cloth and He flew around to the other side, settling on the ceiling away from any corners which may have contained a hungry spider. As He watched, the lights on the audience’s side were dimmed and a tall mortal man walked through onto His side. Loki nearly spontaneously assumed His own form again, He was so outraged. This mortal, although tall and well-built, was still puny for a God and yet he was trying to impersonate the Trickster himself! The mortal spoke at length about utter bilge he seemed to have made up about the Aesir, Vanir, Jotnar and others, and then pointed to a dark passage at the back of the room, from which Jeanette emerged. She was dressed in a dreadful white gown which did nothing to hide her thin naked form underneath and a circlet of drooping blue flowers. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles and she moved like one of Hel’s minions of the Underworld, but when she saw the imposter, she smiled and made her way over to him. _Did she truly think he was her God_?!

 

Loki was incensed that His devotee had been tricked and poisoned so badly that she could be fooled by this mortal and He fumed as He thought about what to do. But it was only as He realized that this was some kind of phony wedding ceremony that His blood finally began to boil and He decided to put a stop to it. The mortal dressed in a pathetic parody of the True Nordic God of Mischief was just stepping between the legs of the girl he had laid down on the fur when a blow like a truckload of stone hit him on his shoulders, killing him as he was crushed to the floor between the ankles of the girl he had been about to fuck. Shouts began to erupt from behind the curtain as the audience realized this was not part of the entertainment and began to hastily disentangle themselves from the sex workers who had been getting them off as they watched the wedding approaching its consummation.

 

Then a gun went off. Loki spun around and ripped the black cloth down, blood dripping from the open wound on His arm for a few seconds before it closed over. He watched the pathetic mortals scattering before Him and instantly spotted a fat old man pointing the discharged weapon at him even though his trousers were still open from the blow job he had been receiving and his cock was dangling like a sorry abandoned frankfurter. It took him a few seconds to realize he was dead because the blade Loki threw was so sharp that it cut his throat painlessly; it was only the subsequent gushing blood which alerted the man to his impending doom. With His attention taken up by the screams and the chaotic reactions of the mortals, Loki did not see Jeanette being dragged from the room by Sam.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 _This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening! What the fuck was happening?!_ Sam was rooted to the spot as he watched the unbelievable sight of a huge giant of a man who looked like a much better version of what Marco had been trying to achieve. There was utter chaos in the room and he could only think of one thing to do; get Jeanie. This dude looked like that God she mentioned a few times and Sam was not going to get murdered by no giant, real or not. He grabbed her off the fur and dragged her back down the cramped corridor to Marco’s rooms and switched off the lights. They could hide here until it blew over; the cops would be arriving soon because this kind of noise would not go unnoticed, that was for sure. He held Jeanie close and decided to wait it out, but he could hear her muttering under her breath. ”Shut up, bitch!” He whispered harshly, but she carried on. He slapped her mouth, “I said shut up!”

 

 _This was no good. Let the crazy bastard hear her_. He wasn’t gonna hang around to get beaten up or even worse, killed. Allowing the girl to slump over, he got to his feet and ran up the stairs to the apse. Behind him, Jeanette slowly sat up, her mind starting to get a little clarity back as the fog of the drugs began to eventually leave her system. The noise of crashing and screaming grabbed her attention, leaping out at her suddenly in the darkness and fear grabbed her. Vaguely remembering that she was supposed to be wedding Loki, she wondered what had gone wrong. What was happening? Tears sprang to her eyes and she began to sob as she drew her knees up and hugged them tight, “Please Loki…” she whispered, grasping the leather bracelet with its silver rune, “Please…”

 

She listened, wincing with every shout, every scream and tried so hard not to make noises herself and she sent out a desperate thought, “Loki, please…. please help me.”

 

Sudden silence descended and in the dark she sat as still as possible, the last vestiges of the drugs leaving her alert to every sense. A jolt of terror went through her as a heavy footfall landed close by, followed by another and another, and she closed her eyes against the concealing dark, hoping and praying she could not be seen. But a voice came out of that dark. A voice she had only ever heard in her mind and it was truly amazing. Her heart leapt into her mouth as her Beloved, her God of Mischief, of Trickery and of Fire cast Seidr and gently illuminated the small space around them. She opened her eyes to look upon the visage she had only ever seen within her mind and saw Him for who He truly was in the flesh for the first time and her heart almost skipped a beat. Her hand felt the fingers that had only ever been the lightest of touches now strongly entwine hers as He coaxed her to her feet and held her at arms length to look down at her in His corporeal form for the first time. And she knew. She knew He would be with her forever.

 

“My Beloved…”


End file.
